Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 64 / Wednesday, April 4, 2007 / Notices 16329 

established the Northwestern Hawaiian 

Islands Marine National Monument by 

issuing Presidential Proclamation 8031 

(Proclamation) (71 FR 36443, June 26, 

2006) under the authority of the 

Antiquities Act (16 U.S.C. 431) (Act). 

On February 28, 2007, President Bush 

amended the Proclamation to give it a 

Native Hawaiian name, chosen by 

Native Hawaiians, that reflects 

Hawaiian language and culture. On 

March 2, 2007, the First Lady, Mrs. 

Laura Bush, presented the new name, 

Papaha ̄naumokua ̄kea Marine National 

Monument, to the public. 

Proclamation 8031 reserves all lands 

and interests in lands owned or 

controlled by the Government of the 

United States in the Northwestern 

Hawaiian Islands (NWHI), including 

emergent and submerged lands and 

waters out to a distance of 

approximately 50 nautical miles (nmi) 

from the islands. The Monument is 

approximately 100 nmi wide and 

extends approximately 1,200 miles 

around coral islands, seamounts, banks, 

and shoals. The area includes the 

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral 

Reef Ecosystem Reserve, the Midway 

Atoll National Wildlife Refuge/Battle of 

Midway National Memorial, the 

Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife 

Refuge, the Hawai1i State Seabird 

Sanctuary at Kure Atoll, and NWHI 

State Marine Refuge. The Secretaries of 

Commerce and the Interior, and the 

Governor of Hawai1i signed a 

Memorandum of Agreement on 

December 8, 2006, to jointly manage 

Federal and State lands and waters 

within the Monument as Co-Trustees, to 

collectively protect, conserve, and 

enhance Monument fish, plant, and 

wildlife habitats, including coral reefs 

and other marine and terrestrial 

resources. 

During the last 5 years, as part of the 

National Marine Sanctuary designation 

process, NOAA actively sought input 

from Federal and State entities, Native 

Hawaiian leaders, the Northwestern 

Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem 

Reserve Advisory Council, and the 

public to develop a Draft Sanctuary 

Management Plan (available on the 

Internet at: http:// 

www.hawaiireef.noaa.gov). More than 

52,000 public comments were received 

during the sanctuary designation 

process. The Proclamation recognizes 

these efforts by directing the Secretary 

of Commerce, in consultation with the 

Secretary of the Interior and the State of 

Hawai1i, to modify, as appropriate, the 

draft Sanctuary Management Plan for 

management of the Monument. Another 

document relevant to Monument 

management, the Draft Interim Visitor 

Services Plan for the Midway Atoll 

National Wildlife Refuge, the Battle of 

Midway National Memorial, and the 

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine 

National Monument’s Midway Atoll 

Special Management Area, was 

distributed for public review in 

December 2006. Comments submitted 

during the Sanctuary designation 

process and comments received on 

Midway’s Visitor Services Plan 

regarding issues that are subject to 

decision by the Co-Trustees (that is, not 

already decided by the President and 

memorialized in the Proclamation) will 

be considered when the agencies are 

determining the scope of the Monument 

Plan and during development of the 

Draft Monument Plan. Any additional 

comments at this stage should be 

focused on any new environmental 

issues identified as a result of new 

information or changed circumstances 

since the comment periods identified 

above. The Co-Trustees will develop comanagement strategies and activities to 

meet the needs of FWS, NOAA, and 

DLNR in the Monument Plan. 

The National Wildlife Refuge System 

Administration Act of 1966 (Refuge 

Administration Act), as amended by the 

National Wildlife Refuge System 

Improvement Act of 1997 (16 U.S.C. 

668dd–668ee), requires the FWS to 

develop a comprehensive conservation 

plan (CCP) for each national wildlife 

refuge. The purpose in developing a 

CCP is to provide refuge managers with 

a 15-year strategy for achieving refuge 

purposes and contributing toward the 

mission of the National Wildlife Refuge 

System, consistent with sound 

principles of fish and wildlife 

management, conservation, legal 

mandates, and FWS policies. In 

addition to outlining broad management 

direction on conserving wildlife and 

their habitats, CCPs identify wildlifedependent recreational opportunities 

available to the public. The State 

maintains its existing responsibility for 

managing State waters in the 

Monument, including the NWHI State 

Marine Refuge and Hawai1i State 

Seabird Sanctuary at Kure Atoll. NOAA 

maintains responsibility for the NWHI 

Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, included 

within the Monument, and has primary 

responsibility regarding the 

management of the marine areas of the 

Monument, in consultation with FWS. 

It is the intent of the Co-Trustees to 

integrate agency planning and 

operational needs into a single 

Monument Plan. A draft Monument 

Plan will be distributed for public 

review and comment early in 2008. The 

Co-Trustees will also develop an 

environmental assessment in 

accordance with the requirements of the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 

4321 et seq.); NEPA Regulations (40 CFR 

parts 1500–1508); other appropriate 

Federal laws and regulations; and 

agency policies and procedures for 

compliance with those regulations. 

Public Availability of Comments 

Before including your address, phone 

number, e-mail address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you can ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Agency Points of Contact 

FWS: Barry Stieglitz, Monument 

Project Leader (USFWS); Hawaiian and 

Pacific Islands NWR Complex, 300 Ala 

Moana Boulevard, Box 50167, 

Honolulu, HI 96850–5000; phone (808) 

792–9540. 

NOAA: T. Aulani Wilhelm, 

Monument Superintendent (NOAA); 

6600 Kalaniana1ole Highway, #300, 

Honolulu, HI 96825; phone (808) 397–

2657. 

State of Hawai1i: Athline Clark, 

Special Projects Manager, Department of 

Land and Natural Resources, Division of 

Aquatic Resources; 1151 Punchbowl 

Street, Room 330, Honolulu, HI 96813; 

phone (808) 587–0099. 

Dated: March 28, 2007. 

David J. Wesley, 

Acting Regional Director, Fish and Wildlife 

Service, Region 1, Portland, Oregon. 

Elizabeth Scheffler, 

Chief Financial Officer, National Ocean 

Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland. 

[FR Doc. 07–1652 Filed 4–3–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[I.D. 022807B] 

Pre-assessment Workshop and Public 

Meeting for West Coast Canary 

Rockfish, Darkblotched Rockfish and 

Arrowtooth Flounder 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
16330 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 64 / Wednesday, April 4, 2007 / Notices 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: NOAA Fisheries will hold a 

workshop to discuss the data and 

models that will be used in the 

upcoming stock assessments for canary 

rockfish, darkblotched rockfish and 

arrowtooth flounder. 

DATES: The Pre-assessment Workshop 

for West Coast Canary Rockfish, 

Darkblotched Rockfish and Arrowtooth 

Flounder will be held Tuesday, April 24 

through Wednesday, April 25, 2007. 

The workshop will meet each day from 

8:30 a.m. through 4:30 p.m., or until 

business for the day is completed. 

ADDRESSES: The Pre-Assessment 

Workshop for West Coast Canary 

Rockfish, Darkblotched Rockfish and 

Arrowtooth Flounder will be held at 

Pacific States Marine Fisheries 

Commission, 205 S.E. Spokane Street, 

Portland, Oregon 97202. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Stacey Miller, Northwest Fisheries 

Science Center (NWFSC); telephone: 

(206) 437–5670; or Dr. Jim Hastie, 

Northwest Fisheries Science Center 

(NWFSC); telephone: (206)860–3412. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

workshop is intended to initiate dialog 

between members of the fishing 

community, stock assessment authors, 

data managers, and interested members 

of the public prior to the finalization of 

the stock assessment model. The 

specific objectives of the workshop are 

to: (1) Discuss the data used in the 

canary rockfish, darkblotched rockfish 

and arrowtooth flounder stock 

assessments including details on 

collections methods, current observed 

trends, and how the data will be 

incorporated into the assessment 

models; (2) discuss the rationale for 

making assumptions in the models, 

especially when data are missing or 

insufficient; (3) identify anomalies in 

the data and provide possible 

explanations; and (4) identify data gaps 

and future research possibilities. 

All participants are encouraged to 

pre-register for the workshop by 

contacting Ms. Stacey Miller, Northwest 

Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) by 

phone at (206)437–5670 or by email at 

Stacey.Miller@noaa.gov. 

Although non-emergency issues not 

contained in the meeting agenda may 

come before the workshop participants 

for discussion, those issues may not be 

the subject of formal workshop action 

during this meeting. Workshop action 

will be restricted to those issues 

specifically listed in this notice and any 

issues arising after publication of this 

notice that require emergency action 

under section 305c) of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and 

Management Act, provided the public 

has been notified of the workshop 

participants’ intent to take final action 

to address the emergency. 

Special Accommodations 

This meeting is physically accessible 

to people with disabilities. Requests for 

sign language interpretation or other 

auxiliary aids should be directed to Ms. 

Stacey Miller at (206) 437–5670 at least 

five days prior to the meeting date. 

Dated: March 30, 2007. 

Tracey L. Thompson, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–6201 Filed 4–3–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

National Estuarine Research Reserve 

System 

AGENCY: Estuarine Reserves Division, 

Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource 

Management, National Ocean Service, 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, U.S. Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of Public Comment 

Period for the Revised Management Plan 

for the Weeks Bay National Estuarine 

Research Reserve. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the Estuarine Reserves Division, Office 

of Ocean and Coastal Resource 

Management, National Ocean Service, 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA), U.S. 

Department of Commerce is announcing 

a thirty day public comment period on 

the revised Weeks Bay National 

Estuarine Research Reserve 

Management Plan which will begin on 

the day this announcement is 

published. Comments should be sent 

within the comment period in hard 

copy or e-mail to Matthew Chasse at 

Matt.Chasse@noaa.gov or NOAA’s 

Estuarine Reserves Division, 1305 EastWest Highway, N/ORM5, 10th floor, 

Silver Spring, MD 20910. 

The Weeks Bay National Estuarine 

Research Reserve was designated in 

February 1986 pursuant to Section 315 

of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 

1972, as amended, 16 U.S.C. 1461. The 

reserve has been operating under a 

management plan approved in 1998. 

Pursuant to 15 CFR 921.33(c), a state 

must revise its management plan every 

five years. The submission of this plan 

fulfills this requirement and sets a 

course for successful implementation of 

the goals and objectives of the reserve. 

A boundary expansion, new facility and 

land acquisition plans, and updated 

programmatic objectives are notable 

revisions to the 1998 approved 

management plan. 

Since the Weeks Bay National 

Estuarine Research Reserve was 

designated, it has been managed by the 

Alabama Department of Economic and 

Community Affairs. Since that time, 

state responsibility for the management 

of the reserve has been transferred to the 

Alabama Department of Conservation 

and Natural Resources (ADCNR), State 

Lands Division. A revised MOU 

between NOAA and the State of 

Alabama was approved to reflect these 

changes. Under ADCNR, the revised 

management plan outlines the 

administrative structure; the education, 

stewardship, and research goals of the 

reserve; and the plans for future land 

acquisition and facility development to 

support reserve operations. 

Three hundred and thirty three (333) 

acres of state-owned coastal and 

submerged lands adjacent to the reserve 

are incorporated through the boundary 

amendment in the management plan 

revision. The expansion provides a 

broader and more representative 

diversity of wetland and water habitats 

into the reserve boundary. The new 

boundary and will provide areas for 

reserve related research and education 

programs. The tidal freshwater riverine, 

emergent and forested wetland 

communities protected through this 

expansion further enhance the Weeks 

Bay reserve as an appropriate and 

ecologically representative site for longterm research and education. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matt 

Chasse at (301) 563–1198 or Laurie 

McGilvray at (301) 563–1158 of NOAA’s 

National Ocean Service, Estuarine 

Reserves Division, 1305 East-West 

Highway, N/ORM5, 10th floor, Silver 

Spring, MD 20910. For copies of the 

Weeks Bay Management Plan revision, 

visit http://www.sarpc.org. 

Dated: March 28, 2007. 

David M. Kennedy, 

Director, Office of Ocean and Coastal 

Resource Management, National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration. 

[FR Doc. E7–6195 Filed 4–3–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–08–P 


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